Education/Career
Journeying from the discipline of medical illustration back to the freedom of fine art is an exciting process. My work continues to explore drawing as well as the excitement of the moment. I am fascinated by form and colour and their interaction with light on both landscape and figure, and depict this in oil, pastel and water-based mediums.
Studied Art & Design at Sutton and Cheam School of Art, and then won Guest Scholarship to Royal Academy Schools while training in Medical Art at the Central Middlesex Hospital, London.
Worked in various London Teaching Hospitals illustrating surgery, anatomy and medicine.
Became free-lance, illustrating many publications including Gray’s Anatomy 36th, 37th & 38th editions, also expanded illustrative work into scientific and natural history subjects. Working in partnership with late husband, a palaeontologist, produced numerous books including a dinosaur series for children. Project work together in USA, West Africa, India and China.
Recently involved with teaching adult drawing and painting workshops in London and the Berkshire area, and painting holidays abroad, as well as progression of my own work.
Current Project: Artist in Residence, The Harris Garden, University of Reading
Solo Exhibition of works arising from the residency – May 2013 at the Museum of English Rural Life, Reading
Publication of the finished work and sketch book studies – May 2013 Two Rivers Press.
Established : Whiteknights Studio Trail - a walking tour of Open Studios in the area of the University in Reading
( 2001 - annually ), Co-ordinator and Exhibitor.
Exhibitions : regularly exhibits in London and in Group shows in South-Eastern England.
Method of Working:
Jenny works mainly from her sketchbook studies that she does wherever she travels and on site when recording events and processes as on an excavation. These sketches she works up later, rearranging and changing as she chooses and then carries this through into finished paintings in pastel and oil.
Biographical Details
After studying Art & Design at Sutton & Cheam School of Art and a guest scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools, Jenny went on to train as a medical artist, illustrating surgery and anatomy. She worked in London Teaching Hospitals, before turning freelance and publication work in both medicine and natural history.
Breaking away from this discipline over a decade ago to return to the freedom of painting and developing her own work as well as teaching.
Societies:
Fellow of The Medical Artists Association of Great Britain
Member of Chelsea Arts Society
Member of the Pastel Society
Recent Articles:
‘The not so Secret Garden’, Berkshire Life - May 2013
‘An Artist in a Garden’, The Artist , May 2013
‘An Artist’s Year in the Harris Garden’ by Jenny Halstead, published by Two Rivers Press, 2013
‘Silchester – Life on the Dig’ by Jenny Halstead and Michael Fulford, published by Two Rivers Press, October 2015
‘Shadows and Reflections’, The Artist, November 2015
